I have GP1s on my hardtail, and GC2 (with the little ‘horns’) on my hybrid. Make long rides more comfortable, reduce the tingling (but don’t eliminate it all together), and the GC2s give me another hand position. Don’t notice any downsides in the way of grip on technical sections either.

It’s fantastic – but … shhh … don’t tell anyone, or they’ll all want to move over here.

I had a girlfriend once who worked for the RAC booking used car inspections. TBH I think they offer a level of comfort to someone completely non-mechanical that the thing isn’t a complete wreck, but if you know a bit about cars, and as you’re looking at reasonably aged Japanese makes, they probably won’t help much. What they can do is give you a basis on which to bargain the price down – brake pads near replacement, new exhaust needed – that kind of thing. However, they can also delay things enough for you to miss out on any real bargains.

I run Ignitor 2.35 up front when its muddy or sand/gravel, with a crossmark 2.1 rear. Grip is great, but the ignitor is heavy going!

Feel the Karma….

Email is… andy ‘at’ cuttfamily ‘dot’ com

Thanks ever so…

Yesss please!

Used in combination with the flap of transparrent plastic film stuck on the side of the cage, it helps you mount the FD in the right position.

Conti – it’s the widely accepted (Shimano, SRAM & Sheldon Brown) method for determining how long a chain should be. You wrap your new chain round the big chainwheel and big sprocket, without going thru the rear derailler cage, see where the two ends meet, then add two links, or one inch of chain (or one link + a powerlink if thats what you use to join the chain).

As you can see above, there’s differing opinions on whether this rule applies to doubles. My experience is that it doesn’t, and even the SRAM manual says for doubles add four links.

Craigxxl – I got my E-13 Turbocharger from CRC a couple of months ago, and it came with the longer bolts – well actually, not the bolts but the ‘sleeves’, and you use the bolts you have – same result! Maybe they’ve actually listened to customer feedback…

Guess it depends on your definition of ‘correct’. Have you seen how the RD cage is stretched out when in big/big? Now that doesn’t really matter in a triple setup on an MTB, because most of us rarely use the big ring, and we certainly don’t use it with the large end of the cassette.

But a double setup is different. You’ve got less gears to choose from, and you end up using most of the combinations. And I for one use my big ring for most of the time, and like to use the whole range of the rear with it. So, when I followed the big/big +2 rule with my double, I spent a lot of time with my RD cage stretched to its limit and experienced clunky shifting because of the tension the chain was under. That’s why I reverted to a longer chain.

Yes, but don’t follow the big-big + two whole links rule. Thats for triples, and you’ll end up with a way too short chain on a double. I learnt the hard way and had to bin a nearly new chain as I don’t like to re-join them again!

Think I ended up taking a couple of links out versus the triple, but can’t be sure as it was really trial and error…

Lived there for 20 years, married a local girl, now in my forties I decided it’s a young man’s town and I moved to Australia a couple of years ago.

There is a hard work hard play ethic, you will always feel like a ‘visitor’ rather than at home, friendships are fleeting as everyone is transient and only interested what they can use you for, and the expat life is a bit like la la land – its not real!

But… jobs pay well, life as an expat is privileged and comfortable, and if you can resist the temptation to act like 99% of people who go out there (party hard, become too full of yourself, and spend all your money on fleeting indulgences) there is a minority who manage to lead a very normal life, enjoy the active outdoor lifestyle available in Hong Kong (yes its there if you look hard enough), travel extensively around the rest of the region, and save enough money to retire very comfortably in a country of their choice.

My advice, decide what you want to get out of it (party for a few years vs. stash away as much money as possible for your retirement) and stick to that plan despite the distractions,and you’ll do all right…

Hmmm, not convinced that being able to remove and re-fit BB cups easily is that important. How often do you really do that? Only time I take mine out is to throw them away. Now, needing a new tool to do it I agree is a pain – but that’s not unique to press fit. Over the years I’ve used cotterpins, square, hollowtech 1, hollowtech 2, and now pressfit – and every one has needed a new tool!

Uh oh! I’ve got press fit BB. From this thread it sounds like I should be worried, but what is it that’s wrong with them?

So long as its only a few weeks, I guess I could curb my impulse to buy…Troy Lee are out of stock at CRC at the moment anyway!

I went 2×9 and the chain would regularly overshoot the small chainring on the way down. Changed to a ‘double specific’ large chainring and FD (M665) and it solved the problem. The ramps on the M665 chainring are different, and the FD cage smaller.

I tried a Raceface Lite alloy bash guard, and it does the job but rapidly gets chipped and scratched if you actually hit anything. Changed it for a gnarly E-13 Turbo plastic one, which continues to look the biz even tho I’ve scraped it across numerous rocks & logs.
My conclusion – if its about light weight and looks – get an aluminium one, but if its actually gonna get some abuse, get one of the chunky plastic ones instead.

Well, I’m tending towards the Troy Lee KG5400 at the moment, as they look the most likely to stay cool in the hot summers here. Can anyone tell me if they were covered in the MBR review – if so, how did they rate?

Also, anyone found them to stretch in use? I’m right on the border between their medium and large, and with no straps or velcro to tighten, I’m worried any stretch would render them useless. Thanks.

I’ve used both Maui and Adventure – both at the expensive end. Former are new vans but are priced accordingly, latter are a few years old but still fine. As others have said, mix of free camping (in south is. can stop many places if you truck up at dusk and are gone early the next morning)and occasional commercial site to empty toilets, have a nice shower & do the washing!

We tended to book one size van up from what we needed so the beds could stay made up and still have a dining area. It also gets very busy in their summer Jan/Feb so need to book well in advance.

Make sure you take your bike – it’s an awsome country for cycling!

Thats great info guys – thanks!

Picked up on a few comments about some designs getting uncomfortably hot & sweaty – uh oh!

What would be the best ones for keeping cool in the summer, but still offering decent protection?

Except….. Rockshox use a gear cable inner and brake cable outer for their poplock. But otherwise, as above.

Found my rear QR loose at the end of a ride couple of weeks back. Also, wheel would hardly turn as bearings were so tight. Seems the locknut on the bearing cone was loose, cone and nut wound themselves in during the ride, leaving QR loose.

Was a relatively new bike, and when I mentioned it to the bike shop they said “it can happen, as locknuts on axles don’t always come properly tight from the factory”. You have been warned!!

Yes you can do it – a couple of things to watch out for tho…

If you stay with the 32 middle, and put a 36T bash, my experience was chain rubbing on bash when in small end of cassette.

If you upgrade the middle chainring to 36T, I suggest getting the M665 36T chainring rather than any old 36T ring. It’s designed to work on a double/bash setup and has a different profile to improve shifting, avoid chain rub, and prevent chain jamming between rings.

Consider the M665 double specific front mech. Not essential, but I found it did away with all the fiddly adjustments required to get the triple front mech to work right with a 22/36 setup.

Lastly, I tried three different bash rings on my setup – the Shimano M665, Raceface Lite ally, and E-13 Turbo Charger plastic. The M665 wont fit the standard M660 cranks, the Raceface looks slick and doesn’t need longer bolts to fit, but I ended up using the E-13 because it’s just much more chunky (and yes it comes with longer bolts).

Did the same with my hybrid for a couple of years – one set of wheels for road use with slicks & a road cassette, another for off road with nobblies and a mountain cassette. Width of rim shouldn’t be a problem if they’re anywhere close to each other – just have the brakes adjusted so they are v. close to the wide ones, and you’ll have a bit more travel on the narrower ones. Likewise, rear mech and cassette won’t be a problem unless you’re running very different ranges and have a shadow rear – which needs to be adjusted close to the sprockets for best shifting. Thats why I stayed with a ‘normal’ rear on that bike.

I had identical wheels (Mavic 319 on deore hubs), but the dishing was a couple of mm offcentre on both rear wheels – but to different sides! Had to adjust so they were both perfectly centred as otherwise I’d need to adjust brakes each time I changed wheel. Oh, and remember another wheel magnet and to setup the two different circumferences in your computer…

Thanks for the suggestions guys – the Defy sure looks good, but a bit outta my price range, and I don’t really need the Android/smartphone functionality. Instead have just ordered a Samsung B2710 which is IP67 waterproof/dustproof, has compass/GPS functions and a built in LED torch… Will report back if its any good once I’ve had a chance to abuse it for a few months.

As above, Flying Ball is the best ‘high end’ shop, but also take a ferry over to Mui Wo (Silvermine Bay) on Lantau, where you’ll find ‘Friendly Bike Shop’ and a Merida dealer (can’t remember the name).

Bike stuff in HK is a bit limited in choice, and won’t be any cheaper than you can get it back home. Even the traditional ‘bargains’ of cameras, sunglasses and mobile phones aren’t such good value these days…

My advice would be to forget the retail therapy and rent a bike from one of the shops on Lantau. They’ll point you in the direction of a great trail with fantastic views of HK harbour. It’ll be real hot and sweaty this time of year, so get them to ferry you to and from the trailhead in their van, and then take a swim at Silvermine Bay and enjoy an al fresco seafood dinner before taking the ferry back to town… :D

Halo works for me – http://www.haloheadband.com – but remember to loosen your helmet a bit when using one – I got crushing headaches until I realised it made the helmet too tight!

When I went double & bash I increased chainwheel size from 32T to 36T and this meant chain running higher in FD cage, where it is narrower. So, no matter how much adjusting it would rub at one end of the cassette or ‘tother – or both! Raised the FD a little, so chain is back in a wider part of the cage, and its now much better. Might be worth a try…

….and if you’re planning on running 22/36 as your double, I’d recommend the Shimano M665 36T chainring, as it’s specifically designed for shifting between a 22 and 36 (narrower profile, two stage ramps, deeper). I learned the hard way, started with a deore 36T and had all sorts of problems until I changed it for an M665.

Yep – the chain will rub on the bash when you’re in the small end of the cassette – at least mine did – SLX cranks, M660 32T chainring, Race-face light 36T bashring. You can try adding spacers to bashring until you’re ready to move up to 36T chainring.

Sorry, should clarify that the issues I was getting were due to the particular combination of 22/36 stretching the geometry of the front setup beyond what it was designed for. If you stick to closer ratios like the standard 22/32, or others like 26/38, 28/40 mentioned above, then you probably won’t experience those issues, and could well get away with a standard triple FD dialed in, and standard chainrings.

But, if you’re going 22/36 then it WILL push the limits of standard chainrings and FDs, and I recommend going to the Shimao M665 group which has been re-designed specifically for a wide ratio double setup.

To add a different perspective on this…

I converted my SLX triple cranks and FD to 22/36 & bash by buying a deore 36T and Raceface bash ring. Had all sorts of issues – chain rubbing on FD cage, chain rubbing on 36T ring when in 22T ring, dropped chain, real clunky shifts, despite lots of fine tuning…..

I realised Shimano sell a double specific SLX crankset and FD for a reason – so I shelled out the money to find out what was so special about the M665. The main difference is in the design of the 36T chainring, and the double FD. The former has a narrower profile to prevent it interfering with the chain when you’re in the 22T and trying to use the small end of the cassette. Secondly, the shifting ramps are very different, to help the chain up from the 22T, and preventing it overshooting on the way back down. Meanwhile, the shape of the FD cage is wider just where you need it to be to get the whole range of travel while in the 36T, but narrower where it needs to be to stop the chain coming off the 22T. Full marks to Shimano for re-designing these things for a double specific application, rather than trying to make do with standard kit.

Bottom line is you can keep the existing FD, and swap out your 32T for any old 36T, but you may well get shifting/rubbing issues like I did. Next best solution is just buying the M665 36T chainring and double specific FD to fit to your current setup. But, hey, the full SLX double is real cheap on CRC at the moment, and you get the bash guard and a new BB thrown in – so that’s what I’d recommend based on my experience.

PS: Contrary to advice above, if you keep your current LX FD and fit a 36 in place of the 32, you will need to RAISE the FD a little, not lower it. This is because the chain is riding higher on the 36 and brings it into a narrower part of the FD cage, and you can’t get the whole range of gears without serious rubbing. Raising the cage puts the chain back in a wider part of the cage. Just one more reason for getting the double specific FD IMHO

As a relative newcomer to MTB I’ve joined a number of forums over the last few months and asked advice. I did feel intimidated by STW at first, but I stuck it out, and learned to be careful which threads I got involved in. I’m glad I wasn’t put off, as it’s turned out to be the most useful, and most entertaining of all the forums I’ve joined.

It also makes me cringe the most, and I’d like to remind some of the apologists for antisocial behaviour that knowing whether something is just harmless fun or a real insult only comes with experience as you learn the ‘rules’ and context of the community. And, as others have said, an unwarranted insult or abuse is no less intimidating because it is online. It is, unfortunately, easier to do because of the anonymity and lack of repercussions with online communications versus a face-to-face interaction, but that doesn’t make it any more acceptable.

Personally, I try and carry over the same tone and attitude I would use in a face-to-face communications, to my online ones. However, I realise I may soon be in the minority, as a whole generation grows up with the values (or lack of) in online communications being the ‘norm’. Scary!

Wifey trims them with a small pair of nail scissor, same time as she mows the unibrow and shaves the earlobes – its all just part of the grooming/bonding ritual – then I get to eat the lice out of her hair… 8O

Hi again one_happy_hippy. A couple of things to whet your apetite for all the great riding you’re gonna do when you get here…

Perth MTB Club website: http://www.perthmtb.asn.au/

Great new book covering everthing you ever wanted to know about MTB in WA, available online at: http://downhilldownunder.com/western-australian-mountain-bike-guide

And, a four day MTB event through the wineries, forests & beaches of the Margaret River region in October: http://capetocapemtb.com/

Enjoy! :D

Hi one_happy-hippy, email me ‘Andy at cuttfamily dot com’ and I’ll try to answer any questions you have. Might not get back to you for a few hours tho’ – its 11pm here and I’m off to bed!

Hi one_happy_hippy, I live in Perth.
I’d agree with others that Broome would get very boring after a while, and is also damn expensive. In Perth you could find a house share for anout $120 per week, but you’d also need to buy a car to get around as the place is well spread out.
MTB is well established in Perth and there’s a variety of tracks within an hour or so of the city, and a very friendly local community of riders.
The FIFO life isn’t that bad if you don’t have family to miss, and you get plenty of time to go cycling or explore the fantastic landscape of WA.
Come on over – let me know when you arrive so I can show you some of the local rides….

Hi PaulD – thanks for the offer, but I really do need the 22 granny as I run 11-32 on the back. If I sacrificed anything to get my smoooooth shifting back I’d go back to the 32 and forget about the 36!

Hi JT – that’s good intel, thanks. Interesting to have it confrimed there are differences between the common or garden deore 36T and the M665 double specific, that make it work better in a 22/36 setup! Guess I should have expected Shimano to re-design the thing so it worked well! Interesting what you say about the wear too. I originally went for the steel deore rather than the alu M665 because I don’t like my oft-used chainrings to be aluminium – but not so sure that was a wise decision now with the problems I’ve been getting!

And CM, I’m tempted – really tempted – to just go the whole hog, but at 85 quid (current CRC price) I’d need to be very sure it would work much better than my current thrown together solution!

Hi PaulD – nice idea, hadn’t thought of that one! Oh, hang on – maybe increasing the spacing between the two rings isn’t a good idea shifting wise…its already a big jump between 22 & 36…might give it a try anyway!

By the way, the 32T is the same width as my new deore 36T on the inside face where the rubbing is going on – I measured them. The problem is the greater diameter of the 36T pushes it into the zone where the chain is crossing over from the inside ring to the small sprockets.

Only solutions I can see (and thanks to the replies above for getting me to this point)…
1. Live with only being able to use half my sprockets on the granny
2. Add washers to move the granny in
3. Shift the chainline out by using more spacers on the BB install
4. Find a 36T chainring that is narrower.

My preferred order would be 4 3 2 1, which is why I’m holding out hope that the double specific M665 36T is narrower than others!

My finger’s poised on the enter key to order the M665 36T – can anyone confirm or refute it’s narrower than all the other Shimano 36T chainrings before I spend the money….please…..pretty please?